“More of this,” she said, holding on tighter to keep him from getting away.
That was absolutely fine with him.
He’s here.
That was all Isla could think as she luxuriated in the scents of starch and citrusy cologne and sexy man.And as soon as she had that thought, she immediately felt terrible.Gabriel was dead, and she was thrilled to see Julian, to know he cared enough to come running to her after hearing about Gabriel’s passing.
What kind of person did that make her?
She was relieved to have his support and company, especially since Denny was working in San Diego for a few days, finishing a job that was already running late.When she’d called him with the news about Gabriel, he’d felt bad that he couldn’t come home.Isla had told him not to worry about it, that Mrs.V was with her, and she was okay, but she was more so now that Julian was there.It made no sense, but it was true.His presence was a comfort to her.
“I know you must be so busy.I’m all right if you need to go back to work.”
“I cleared my day.”
Swoon.He’d cleared his day.For her.
Mrs.V was probably thinking she’d lost her mind as she clung to the handsome man in the suit who’d cleared his day for her, but Isla couldn’t bring herself to worry about that when it felt so good to have his arms around her and his heart beating fast beneath her ear.
With his phone ringing incessantly, he pulled back from her to shut it off and then put his arm around her to lead her to the sofa, where he sat next to her and reached for her hand.His was so warm compared to hers.She’d been freezing since she got the news.
“How did you hear?”
“His mother called me at five a.m.”
“Oh wow.That must’ve been so shocking.”
“It was.I really didn’t expect it to happen so fast, but I keep thinking it’s a blessing for him that he won’t suffer a slow, painful decline.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder because he was there and he cared and that meant so much to her.“You know what else?”
“What, honey?”
Her heart did a funny stutter when he called her that.“I’m filled with this strange energy today, knowing that I no longer have to be on full alert like I’ve been for years now, anticipating the next disaster.”
“It’s an adrenaline response.I’ve seen it happen before when someone who’s been in danger finds out the risk has been alleviated.”
“So it’s normal to feel almost amped up about that?”
“Totally normal.”
“My first thought should be grief for him and the kids, but instead, I’m oddly relieved to know that I don’t have to be afraid of him anymore.And then I immediately feel guilty, because he couldn’t help the things he did.”
“Regardless of the reason, you were terrorized by the things he did, Isla.You have every right to feel relieved that the threat has been permanently removed from your life, even if you feel sad for him and your kids.”
“It’s a lot of emotion all at once.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“In the middle of it all is this lovely sparkle of joy, thanks to you.”
ChapterTwenty-One
“Oh.Well…” He was adorable when he was flustered, which she suspected didn’t happen very often.
“I can’t believe you left work to come here.”
